Google turns to artificial intelligence to keep its edge on search

For the past few months, a ‘very large fraction’ of the millions of queries a second that people type into Google’s search engine have been interpreted by an artificial intelligence system, nicknamed RankBrain. — Reuters picSAN FRANCISCO, Oct 27 — When Google-parent Alphabet Inc reported eye-popping earnings last week its executives couldn’t stop talking up the company’s investments in machine learning and artificial intelligence. For any other company that would be a wonky distraction from its core business. At Google, the two are intertwined. Artificial intelligence sits at the extreme end of machine learning, which sees people create software that can learn about the world. Google has been one of the biggest corporate sponsors of AI, and has invested heavily in it for videos, speech, translation and, recently, search. For…